Sunday, 1 February 2026

St Brigid's Eve; celandines and mistle thrushes

Happy St Brigid's Day! Here she is with some oystercatchers, known in Gaelic and Irish as 'Brigid's servants' - Gille-Brìde, or Giolla Brighde, depending on which side of the water you're on. They saved her life once, by concealing her in seaweed when she was being pursued by blokes with evil intent. We don't get oystercatchers on the canal, though we do see the occasional sandpiper and egret. But yesterday's bird, on our walk in the woods, was the mistle thrush calling at Smelly Bridge.

very velvety new antlers on this roebuck


a dormouse box


King Alfred's Cakes, because they look burned. They make good firelighters.


coming out of the woods, there's Eve!




 
the first celandine!

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2 comments:

  1. gz1 February 2026 at 20:32

    A rare joy now, a mistle thrush...a good one for Sant Fraedd..

    I thought of the stories of her and birds...I walked along Sauchiehall Street and there was a woman feeding the pigeons ...there could have been nearly a hundred there she was surrounded and covered in birds

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  2. Dru Marland2 February 2026 at 05:58

    There's a few places along the canal where I can hope or expect to hear them. A very bracing sort of sound, calling the new year in.

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